Safety-gate.



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` No. 735.306. o. B. SIMPSON.

SAFETY GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAE. 18. 1901.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Patented August 4, 190g'.

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SAFETY-G ATE.`

" SPECIFICATION forming part of 'Letters Patent N o. 735,306, datedAugust-14, 1903.

` Applicationiledllliarohl,19Q1i `Sie'rialiNo.51,640. (No modell) To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. SIMPSON, a citizen oftheUnited States,and a resident of Chicago, Cookcounty, Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Safety-Gates and Ido hereby declare thatthe following isafull, clear, and exact description thereof,ret'erencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which'form a -part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements-in safetygates, and moreparticularlyto an automatic-operating safety-gate for elevators or thelike, designed to be automatically held in its lopen position by theelevator-,car and to be self-closing when the car passes above or belowthe same.

. The invention consists of the matters hereinafter described, andwrnorefully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figurel is a perspective view of an elevator-shaftprotected by a gate embodyingr my invention4 andshowing the gate closed.Fig. -2 is a similar view and shows the gate supported in its openposition.V

In said drawings,A indicates the gate,wh ich i may obviously be of anydesired size, material, or construction and adapted to` slide upwardly,as shown, to permit access to or egress from the elevator-car B.

C indicates a tubular casing, as shown rectangular in cross-sectionland-serving as one of the posts at a front cornervo the elevatorshaft.Within said casing is supported the weight D, provided with a pluralityof notches on its inner side or that adjacent tothe car and adaptedto beengaged by a spring-dog D through an opening in the casin g provided forthat purpose. Said spring-dog is rigidly secured at one end on the sideof said casing adjacent to the shaft and's'prvided intermediate of itsends with an outwardly-curved portion adapted j to be. engaged Vbyazpost or,

member b, rigidly secured on the elevatorcar. Said member is shaped onits side adjacent thereto .to engage said dog and push the free end ofthe same inwardly into engagement with the weight when the car is at alevel with the floor where the gate is to be operated. The engaging faceof said post or memberb is cut away above and below acen- The operationof -my tra-l curved portion corresponding with-.the outer surface ofsaid dog and asa whole forms'a cam. From said Weight D, as shown,

' aline or other flexible connection leads upwardly and laterallythrough sheaves of any desired kind, one of which `is. in the top ofsaid casing, theV other of which is above the middle of the gate and issecured centrally at the top of the gate, so that downward strain on-the gate or on that end of the line serves to elevate the weight. Saidgate `is materially heavier than the weight D; and acts to closeautomatically when the dog D' is released from said weight. j l For thepurpose of more perfectly controlling the movement of the gate a chainD2 is secured to the lower end of `the weight D. The upper links of saidchain, asyshown, are relatively large as compared with thelinks near'thelower end thereof.` At the lower i extremity ot the chain a large linkor Weight of any desired form may be used, vif preferred. As shown, alarge link is used.` The-length `of said chain yis such that when thegate is down to its lowest or closed position and the weight D elevated,as shown inEig. `1,said chain is wholly suspended therefrom. Whn,

n however, the weight is imposition forenga'ge- `ment withthe spring-dogand the gate1elevated,wasm shown in Fig. 2, the weightof said chainis"a`lmost entirely removed-from the weight`D,said,chain being coiled atthe bottom ofsaid casing. j i

v Y device is as follows: The elevator-shaft being equipped as beforedescribed, the operator as the car approaches the floor at which it isdesired to stop seizes the gate and throws the same upwardly. The samebeing very nearly balanced bym-the weight D and the chain D2, moves veryeasily. As the gate ascends the weight `and j chain descend to theposition indicated iniFig. 2. The cam b nowengages the dog D', forcingthe same inwardly'into engagementu with a `tooth On said weight, therebylocking the gate in its supported position at a sucient height to permitthe free use of the elevatorcar. Practically the entire gravity of thechain in this position is supported on the oor. Inasmuch as the gate isheavier than the weight D, the moment the car moves either up or downsufliciently to disengage the cam ICO it'to close softly, the effectbeing to give a rapid downward movement until the gate is nearly closed,then suddenly checking the same by the added Weight at the lower end ofthe chain. The weight D, the chain, and the large link or weight at thelower end of the same are Very nearly as heavy as the gate, so while thegate closes very quickly it closes gently and remains in its closedposition until positively actuated by the operator.

' Obviously my invention may be embodied with any desired form of car orcage, and the cam member may assume any desired form. So, too, thespring-dog may be dierently shaped, if preferred, and many of thedetails of construction may be varied without departing from theprinciple of this invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a device of the class described thecombination with a sliding gate or door,of a variable counterweightsecured thereto and acting to gradually increase resistance to theclosure of the gate, said counterweight being supported wholly by saidgate or door when in its closed position and partly thereby when in theopen position, and a spring-detent acting to positively lock the gateordoor in its open position 2. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a sliding gate, of a variable counterweight embracinganotched weight having a chain depending therefrom, flexible connectionsbetween Athe gate and notched weight, sheaves disposed to support saidcounterweight wholly by vsaid gate when the gate is in its closedposition and partly thereby when in its open position, and aspringdetent acting to engage in the notches in said weight andpositively lock the gate in its open position.

3'. In a device of the class described, the combination with a movablegate, of a variable counterweight supported thereby and acting togradually increase resistance to the closure of the gate, saidcounterweight comprising a toothed weight depending from the gate and achain of variable links supported wholly by the gate when open andpartly therefrom whenclosed and a spring-detent acting to engage theteeth of the weight.

4. lIn a device of the class described the combination with a-'movabledoor, of adetent, a counterweight comprising a mass having teeth orprojections on one side thereof adapted to be engaged by said deten t, achain attached to the lower end thereof and forming a part of thecounterweight, said chain comprising links larger at one end of thechain than at the other and a large link or weight on the lower endthereof.

5. In a safety-gate for elevators, the Icoinbination with theelevator-shaft and the car,

of an upwardly-sliding gate, a casing at one side of the same adjacentto the elevatorshaft, sheaves located above said gate and in the casing,a line secured to the gate passing through said sheaves and into thecasing, a weight supported on the line and having teeth on its innerside adjacent to the shaft, a plurality of connected counterweights ofvarying sizes depending from said weight, a spring-dog rigidly securedon the casing adjacent to the shaft and ladapted to be forced inwardlyof the casing into engagement with the teeth on the weight, and a camrigidly secured on the car acting to force said dog inwardly intolocking engagement with the teeth of said weight when the car is at alevel with the floor, thereby acting to hold the gate in an elevatedposition.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. SIMPSON.

In presence of- C. W. HILLS, ANNA B. HILLS.

